The Solar Rhino

Questions for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D –Nev.), in response to his demand for a promise that the White House never pardon "Scotter" Libby:

1) Senator, do you presume that Libby is innocent? I mean, he hasn't been convicted of anything. For that matter, neither have Karl Rove or Vice-President Cheney - they haven't even been indicted. Do you presume that they are innocent? Or do you reject the whole "innocent until proven guilty" idea?

2) Will you direct your office to release whatever statements you made to the press at the time President Clinton left office? Given your outrage at the mere possibility that, sometime in the future, President Bush might hypothetically pardon still-presumed-innocent "Scotter" Libby, I can't wait to read the fuss you must have made when out-going President Clinton actually issued that whole raft of last-minute pardons to his actually-convicted cronies and financial backers. If the fact that you were not yet leader prevented you from issuing such statements, that's okay - I'll accept copies of press release criticisms from any Democratic leader, past or present. How quickly can you make those available?

3) Senator, given that the White House has steadfastly held to the principle that the prosecution not be interfered with in any way, refusing even to comment on the various "disingenuous" interpretations of the facts by you and others, why did you limit your demands to pardons? Bush is from Texas, and Ross Perot is from Texas - you could have demanded that Bush not attempt a Perot-like rescue of the still-presumed-innocent Libey from federal prison. You know this White House would not defend itself from the implied accusation. Was this a missed opportunity, or does this restraint signal that Democrats have finally found a line which even they will not cross?

# posted by Solar Rhino @ 11/10/2005 10:18:00 PM